Brake.



Patented Aug. I I899.

H. ALDEN.

8 PM K E.

(Application filed July 26, 1898.)

(No Model.)

' 4o brake members and llwiirian drarns'pa'rnnr Unison.

IIERBERT WL ALDEN, OF HARTFORD, CONNEOTICU'l,ASSIGNOR, BYiMESNE"ASSIGNll/IE NTFi, TO THE COLUMBIA AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY,

OF JERSEY ClTY, NEWJERSEY.

scans.

SIECIFZCBLTEUN forming part of Letters Patent No. 630,281, dated August1 1899 Application filed July 26, 1898. Serial No. 686,953. (No model.)

- hand-brake shall he avoided, and generally I 5 to improve theconstruction and operation of brakes of the class known as band-brakes.The nature of the invention will be more particularly pointed outhereinafter with ref" erence to the accompanying drawing, in which cothe invention is illustratedas embodied in a desirable construction.

The drawing is a View in side elevation of the improved brake mechanismapplied to a brake-wheel, the brake-operating device he- ;5 iug alsoshown.

In the drawing the brake-wheel, which is secured to a rotating part ofthe machine or vehicle or its driving mechanism, is represented at A,and a rigid portion or frame 0 member of the machine or'vehiclc isshownat B. To such frame member or to a stud b thereon is secured thebrake-band, preferably continuous from end to end, but which comprises,in eifect, two members 0 and C,

each one of which extends from the anchor portion at bnearly to thediametrically opposite point of the brake wheelfor drum. The rigid'framemember or an arm '13 is extended to a point between the free ends of thetwo 0 to afford a bearingpoint for the means which operate to repel thefree ends of the brake members, so that both of said brake membersnormally shall be free from the surface of the brake wheel or drum, suchmeans consisting in the prescut instance of spiral springs D D, whichact, respectively, upon the brake members C and C.-

toward the center with equal force, so that point upon the end as C, andone end is connected by a link 6 member, as G,

In order to secure a better action of each brake member, and especiallyto permit each brake member to embrace so large a part of the surface ofthe brake wheel or drumas nearly one-half, and yet to clear the surfaceof the drum when the brake is released, as well as to increase itselasticity, each brake member is cut away on its inner side for a shortdistance from the anchorage-point, as

vindicated. at o and 0, respectively.

In order to pull both ends of the brake-strap 6 the brake shall operatein the same manner regardless of the direction of rotation of the drum,a lever E is pivoted at a middle v of one of the brake memhere, or rod Fwith the free end of the other brake the end of said link being threadedand provided with nuts, as at f, to permit of adjustment. The other endof the lever E is connected to the brake-actuating mechanism by suchmeans as will permit force to be applied to said lever E in the properdirection, ,as by means of a link G, a bellcrank lever G, and a rod H.

Oneof the brake members, as C, may be provided, if desired,'with alubricator O and formed on its inner surface withtransverse grooves c todistribute the lubricating material equally over the surface of thedrum.

it will be readily understood from the foregoing description of theconstruction that whenever force is applied to the free end of the leverE in the proper direction both of the brake members 0 and C will bepulled toward the middle point and into contact with the surface of thedrum with equal force regardless of the direction of rotation of thedrum, and that upon the release of the pressure both brake members willbe repelled equally from-the middle point by the action of the springsagainst the abutment afforded by the interposed rigid frame member orarm and that both will be freed from the surface of the drum. Thecut-away portion of the brake members insures the clearance thereof fromthe surface of the drum throughout the 1.; The combination'of abrake-band anchored at a. middle point, devices for drawing the freeends of said brakeband together, a

' .rigid member otthe frame extended between 7 said free ends,

said 'free ends of the brake-band, and means acting against said freeends with said rigid member as an abutment or support to 'repelsubstantially as shown and described. I e

2. The combination with a brake-drum and a frame, of a. brake-bandcontinuous from end to end and anchored to said frame at a middle pointand cut away on' its inner'surface for a short distance from such middlepoint on each side thereof, whereby the brakeband embraces nearly thewhole surface ofzo the drum'but clears'the drum near the anchor 'andiselastic,i suhstantially as shown and-described. I I

The combination of a brake-band anchored at a.- middle point, devicesfor draw- 25 in g'the free ends of said brake-hand together,- a fixedabutment supported by. the frame and means reacting'upon said fixedabutment to repel the free ends of the brake-band, sub= stantially asshown and described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 28th day of June, .A. D:1898.

, H. W. ALDEN. ."In presence of- I H. E. HART,'

W. B. GREELEY;

